Meet the Ghanaian-American university professor in search of the cure for strange diseases in Africa

Each year, about 185,000 people die as a result of Neglected Tropical Diseases with more than a billion people – one-sixth of the world's population – are infected with one or more NTDs, and an additional two billion are at risk.

Though NTDs have low mortality but high morbidity rates, it is killing people in developing countries especially.

For this reason, a Ghanaian American Professor has dedicated herself in service to cure some of these Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Her name is Dr. Janet Antwi.

Dr. Janet Antwi is a Professor of Chemistry, a passionate STEM educator, a researcher, and a dynamic speaker.

She obtained her Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences with a concentration in medicinal chemistry from The Ohio State University, College of Pharmacy, where she currently serves as a faculty member.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

Born in Ghana in the business district of Kokomlemle in the capital of Ghana, Accra - Dr. Janet Antwi's research focuses on diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease with high prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing countries.

Speaking to Ntiamoah Williams, Dr. Janet Antwi reveals how her contribution towards the field has led to publications in high impact journals.

In addition, she has served in many leadership roles including chair of the chemistry department, diversity and inclusion committee member and the faculty advisor for student organizations.

As an immigrant from Ghana, and an advocate for minorities in STEM, she constantly seeks to inspire, coach and mentor students pursuing STEM degrees and careers.

She was awarded two NSF grants; Noyce and S-STEM, an amount of about 2 million dollars, to help broaden minority participation in STEM.

The grants provide full scholarships to students from low-income households pursuing STEM degrees.

Dr. Antwi is heavily involved in the Columbus Ohio immigrant community. She has served as the President of the youth ministry and the secretary of her local church.

She is a board member of the non-profit organization, Bridging Worlds Global, an organization aimed at solving conflicts between immigrant children and their parents due to generational differences.